Vast Social Inequality

In Paul Krugman’s Confronting Inequality, we are warned, as citizens of the United States, of the damages of high and rising inequality within our country. The inequity being described is between the wealthy 1% of our nation and the 99% of the rest of the population. The author depicts America as a place where there is unclear economic progress for the middle class while the share of economic growth in the past 3 decades has gone to the wealthy minority. Krugman, next describes the damages to our society and democracy. First starting with social inequality, he says “The fact is the vast income inequality inevitably brings vast social inequality inevitably brings vast social inequality in its train” (p. 589). Within this social difference, the author tells us of how desirable school districts are growing very scarce in number and are becoming much more expensive to live in, making it so that children with low-income parents have a “bad start” in their education. Krugman also makes the point that corrupt politics is a direct result of the difference between the 1% and everyone else. For many years now, there has been tax breaks for the rich, due to the Bush tax cuts. This point leads to his solution, of undoing tax cuts for the wealthy. Krugman shows us that the Urban-Brookings Joint Tax Policy Center estimated that if Bush tax breaks expired in 2010 for those who have an income of over $200,000 that by today (2012) there would be enough money to create universal healthcare. The author’s main solution was to generally close obvious loopholes within the American system. Next, the problem of Market Inequality is brought to the table. He says that the raise in minimum wage and a steady union movement within the nation would assist this wage inequality. Finally, Krugman discusses how accessible these changes are and how rapidly they can happen. He feels as though the changes can be easily reached, but not likely. In the last paragraph, he states that although America is